Study may keep fruits younger longer

RIVERSIDE, Calif., May 5 (UPI) -- U.S. chemists say they have discovered how blocking ethylene gas, produced naturally by plants as a hormone, slows aging of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

To delay aging, growers spray plants with patented compounds, such as EthylBloc for flowers and SmartFresh for fruits and vegetables. But how the compound -- 1-methylcyclopropane or 1-MCP -- works at the molecular level was uncertain.

But now a team led by University of California-Riverside Professor Michael Pirrung posits a chemical reaction occurs between 1-MCP and naturally occurring copper in plant cells. The researchers said their finding might lead to new ethylene-blocking chemicals for preserving the freshness of fruits, vegetables and flowers for longer than currently is possible.

The study that included Yunfan Zou of the University of California-Riverside, Anthony Bleecker and Brad Binder of the University of Wisconsin, Yoshihisa Inoue and Norimitsu Sugawara of Osaka University in Japan, Fernando Rodriguez of BD Biosciences in Puerto Rico and Takehiko Wada of Japan's Tohoku University was published in the April issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology.